BigLew55's UCC planning

Go to page

Yes, it's me again. I am tentatively planning a UCC for next summer. I have some riding buddies that are interested in tagging along for the Iowa-Alaska-Iowa leg of the trip. We will be spending a week together in Sturgis, so I thought I would try to get some preliminary details together so they would know what they were committing to.

Normally, I am very adamant about riding IB rides by myself, but I thought it might be nice to have some backup on this trip due to the remoteness of the northern leg. Right now I have 3 other riders interested in going. They are all three good riders capable of long days, but are not proven IBA style riders. They also have no intention of mounting an aux tank to their Harleys.

What I'm looking for is details of the ride north of Fairbanks. I know the road is a challenge, but do you normally stay overnight anywhere like Coldfoot, Prudhoe Bay, or anywhere else?

As far as I can tell, the leg to Prudhoe is about 240 miles without a fuel stop. Is this the case, or is there something in the middle that I haven't found?

If any of you who have done this can share your ride details, that would be appreciated greatly. I would love to see how your rides went.

Thanks much!!
Lew

P.S. Yes I've read several ride reports over the years, but now I'm planning for real, so I am looking for tangible details.

going north I spent the night in Coldfoot. Coming back I just rode to Fairbanks. A long day but not that difficult because the weather cooperated. There is no gas between Coldfoot and Prudhoe.
Have a great ride.

OK, it's getting closer. I probably should have bailed on this ride and entered BLIX, but I had others who planned to go with. That group had been 3 others is now down to one other, and it may just be me. That remains to be seen. I have routes planned for either contingency.

I have spent a lot of time in the garage this spring prepping the bike. Priority number 1 was adding an AUX tank. This has been a lacking piece of gear for several years, but I hadn't prioritized it until last summer, purchasing one from another member. I have it added and tested now, so it's time to attack whatever comes next. I'll be putting it to good use this weekend, riding up to Duluth to visit Aerostitch.

I do have another question about the Starting receipt for the AK end of the UCC. Is there a particular place that is needed, or will anyplace in Camp Deadhorse be adequate? I'm not sure what I will encounter once I'm up there, and would hate to not have the correct starting DBR.

OK, it's getting closer. I probably should have bailed on this ride and entered BLIX, but I had others who planned to go with. That group had been 3 others is now down to one other, and it may just be me. That remains to be seen. I have routes planned for either contingency.

I have spent a lot of time in the garage this spring prepping the bike. Priority number 1 was adding an AUX tank. This has been a lacking piece of gear for several years, but I hadn't prioritized it until last summer, purchasing one from another member. I have it added and tested now, so it's time to attack whatever comes next. I'll be putting it to good use this weekend, riding up to Duluth to visit Aerostitch.

I do have another question about the Starting receipt for the AK end of the UCC. Is there a particular place that is needed, or will anyplace in Camp Deadhorse be adequate? I'm not sure what I will encounter once I'm up there, and would hate to not have the correct starting DBR.

Thanks, "Another Member". A quick test last weekend left me almost giddy! I hope it continues to go well this weekend. I need to get to Duluth to get a good pair of riding pants. I ruined my rain pants on the way back from JAX while checking the road for Black Ice.

Sounds like an awesome ride. Looking forward to the ride report. I'm about 40 days out from departure for a 48+/10. Still have a few more details to work-out...like my route home from Hyder after completion.. If possible - share your planning steps.

Sounds like an awesome ride. Looking forward to the ride report. I'm about 40 days out from departure for a 48+/10. Still have a few more details to work-out...like my route home from Hyder after completion.. If possible - share your planning steps.

I live in San Diego as well. I’m leaving on the 21st heading for JAX so I can complete the 50 coast to coast from JAX to SD. Next month I’ll do the Border to Border to Border Insanity. I’m using these two rides as test runs for the 48+/10. Please share your route. Do you have one for the 48/10?

Well, my testing of my Aux tank went well this weekend. I was also able to purchase a set of Aerostitch AD1 pants in the correct size. They should show up in a few weeks. While I didn't ride a certificate ride, I did about 5 miles short of 1K on 3 fuel-ups. If I adjust for stops that I wouldn't normally do while riding for a cert, I managed a 14.25 hr. 1K pace. Not bad, as there was about 25% on two-lane. Now to pull my tank off and look for signs of wear before I begin final bike prep for Alaska.

I hope I can find a deal on Spotwalla service, or I'm going to have to do a year at full price. I have about a month left before I run out of patience.

As for the UCC planning, I have both of my routes (1 if my friend goes, and 1 if solo. He doesn't have an Aux tank, nor does he like to push quite as hard as me) ready. I've done my google recon, and now have a short list of gas stations and hotels to call in remote areas.

Other than that, I and the bike seem to be pretty close to ready. I'm contemplating a Madstad, so that may show up next month. We'll see what the budget looks like after I throw my middle daughter's graduation party.

Well, my testing of my Aux tank went well this weekend. I was also able to purchase a set of Aerostitch AD1 pants in the correct size. They should show up in a few weeks. While I didn't ride a certificate ride, I did about 5 miles short of 1K on 3 fuel-ups. If I adjust for stops that I wouldn't normally do while riding for a cert, I managed a 14.25 hr. 1K pace. Not bad, as there was about 25% on two-lane. Now to pull my tank off and look for signs of wear before I begin final bike prep for Alaska.

I hope I can find a deal on Spotwalla service, or I'm going to have to do a year at full price. I have about a month left before I run out of patience.

As for the UCC planning, I have both of my routes (1 if my friend goes, and 1 if solo. He doesn't have an Aux tank, nor does he like to push quite as hard as me) ready. I've done my google recon, and now have a short list of gas stations and hotels to call in remote areas.

Other than that, I and the bike seem to be pretty close to ready. I'm contemplating a Madstad, so that may show up next month. We'll see what the budget looks like after I throw my middle daughter's graduation party.

You might look into a Delores inReach. You can get them cheap on Amazon and do the monthly freedom service. I just tested mine this weekend. It updates position at a 10 min rate which is good enough for a certified ride. It also has the advantage of being able to message anytime as it is two way via satellite. No cell needed to communicate. I bought it for my CC50, B2B2B, and 48/10 rides. I would think it would be phenomenal for the Alaska portion of your ride.

I live in San Diego as well. I’m leaving on the 21st heading for JAX so I can complete the 50 coast to coast from JAX to SD. Next month I’ll do the Border to Border to Border Insanity. I’m using these two rides as test runs for the 48+/10. Please share your route. Do you have one for the 48/10?

No problem - would be glad to share the route when I'm done. I will need to make some minor adjustments i.e. change coordinates of a couple places I'm camping as I will be staying on the property of a few Adventure Rider Inmates who have offered through Tent Space. I promised I would not share their exact addresses; but change back to the general location coordinates before providing my route to anyone other than the IBA Certification team. I was hoping to squeeze in a B2B ride this year; but things are too busy. I managed to get a 100ccc last year. The only big ride I scheduled this year is the 48+/10 and should be leaving on June 12th to stage from Needles for an official start on June 13th. Would be glad to discuss more if you want to PM me as I do not want to hijack Big Lew's thread.

Well, my testing of my Aux tank went well this weekend. I was also able to purchase a set of Aerostitch AD1 pants in the correct size. They should show up in a few weeks. While I didn't ride a certificate ride, I did about 5 miles short of 1K on 3 fuel-ups. If I adjust for stops that I wouldn't normally do while riding for a cert, I managed a 14.25 hr. 1K pace. Not bad, as there was about 25% on two-lane. Now to pull my tank off and look for signs of wear before I begin final bike prep for Alaska.

I hope I can find a deal on Spotwalla service, or I'm going to have to do a year at full price. I have about a month left before I run out of patience.

As for the UCC planning, I have both of my routes (1 if my friend goes, and 1 if solo. He doesn't have an Aux tank, nor does he like to push quite as hard as me) ready. I've done my google recon, and now have a short list of gas stations and hotels to call in remote areas.

Other than that, I and the bike seem to be pretty close to ready. I'm contemplating a Madstad, so that may show up next month. We'll see what the budget looks like after I throw my middle daughter's graduation party.

I had heard something about that. I have a Spot Gen3 here on my desk. Another member from your neck of the woods kindly gave it to me, as he wasn't using it. If they don't offer a deal in the next few weeks, I'll go ahead and subscribe at full price so I have it for AK.

For those who are looking to do this in the future, here are some more details about my gear and preparations.

I have my new AD1 pants, and other than working out the knee pad placement, they're great. The knee armor may end up on a shelf, but I'm going to try to work it out first. I also purchased a full set of LDComfort. I had the shorts already, and decided that full tights and long sleeve shirt were warranted, especially with the gore-tex pants. I also use a waterproof FXRG coat. I switched to a modular full faced helmet this spring, and so far, it works well. I have a big melon, so it's hard to find lids in my size. My old 3/4 is still more comfortable, but this one seems to wear well and gives more protection. I have used Magnum boots for riding for years. Current ones are steel toes, by accident. I'll be careful to not get that option again. Another piece of gear that I picked up over the winter was a heated jacket liner. this has mad spring riding great. I think I wore it almost constantly on my week long trip to Florida this spring.

On the bike, I have painted and installed my Aux tank. It goes on and off in a matter of minutes. I found no areas of wear on the hose routed to the tank, so that looks good. I really don't know why I waited so long to add one. I also added a Radar detector and mounted my new spot gen 3. I have been using it around town for a few weeks, but still don't have a ton of experience with it. I'll continue to track using Bubbler as a backup.

I mounted my previous cell phone on the handlebars using a RAM X mount. It doesn't have cell service, but I use my current cell phone as a hotspot while safely tucked away in the tourpak. This gives me Google, Waze, MyRadar, and I am also using it for Smartlink, as that has given me issues at odd times. This setup worked well on my trip to Duluth.

Not received yet, but I bit the bullet to try a MadStad. I know I have a fairing vent, but I wanted to try a different windshield anyway. Taking this into consideration, it was like getting a discount (right?). I am hoping this helps even more than the rushmore vent at higher speeds. I'll be sure to report on any benefit after the trip. I'm also going to mount a stylus of some sort. I have a bit of trouble using the phone with gloves, and testing confirms that it helps with the GPS as well.

Speaking of GPS, the set-up I use for that is now 3-dundant. I use a HD branded Garmin z590. This one is programmed to interrupt the audio on the Boom! system for instructions. The Garmin is my primary authority for guidance. I am now adding Waze or Google Drive via my old phone. If using this, I can get audio via bluetooth connection. I'm not sure how much I trust it yet. I still use the Boom! GPS for overview duty. I load the routes in it, but turn off autozoom. This works well when you can't figure out why Garmin is telling you to do something. One new trick I learned is to use distinctly different voices on the different GPSs. This will help determine where it's coming from when trying to take a quick glance.

I have two plans for this trip, one if I go solo with my AUX tank, and one if my buddy comes along with only a 6 gallon tank. I planned every fuel stop for the entire trip, as well as hotels. I then loaded them as tracks and points into spotwalla to scout them out. I do all my planning with the routes set up in big chunks (to AK, AK to FL, FL to IA). To load them into the GPSs, I break them down into day rides so the units aren't bogged down when a recalculation occurs. The larger ones won't even always load into the BOOM! system. I append sequencing to the route names so they are easy to find. The Garmin will sort by date if you enter it. The Boom! just sorts them by stupid. Really. I don't know what logic it applies, but I'm guessing it doesn't. Also, neat trick, append it as a prefix, not a suffix, or it won't help as the names are often truncated. I used 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3a, 2.3b as my convention so it would be easy to follow (I hope).

That's probably more than you wanted to see, but maybe it will help someone down the line.